Moderna's COVID Vaccine Safe For Use In Kids

Moderna’s mRNA and protein-based COVID-19 vaccines are safe for use in young children and offer strong immunity response, with no side effects, according to a research on baby rhesus macaques. The study was done by a team of scientists at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill, Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian reported that both the vaccines produced good antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 in 16 baby rhesus macaques. The antibody responses persisted for 22 weeks.

Study published in the journal Science Immunology, suggests that vaccines for young children are likely important, safe tools to curtail the pandemic.

"The level of potent antibodies we observed were comparable to what has been seen in adult macaques, even though the doses were 30 micrograms instead of the 100 microgram adult doses," said Kristina De Paris, PhD, professor of microbiology and immunology at the UNC School of Medicine.

"With the Moderna vaccine, we observed specific strong T cell responses, as well, which we know are important to limiting disease severity," De Paris added.

Researchers immunized two groups of 8 infant rhesus macaques at 2.2 months of age and 4 weeks later. Each animal received one of two vaccine types, with an adjuvant from 3M that stimulates cells through toll-like receptor 7 and 8.

Both vaccines produced high magnitude of IgG neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and Spike protein-specific T cell responses -IL-17, IFN-g, and TNF. These are called T helper 1 immune responses.

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The vaccines did not elicit T helper type 2 responses, which can be detrimental to vaccine efficacy and safety in infants. Such responses can counter the immune response against the virus.

And so, T helper 2 responses have hindered the development of vaccines in young children, most notably for the common Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV).

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Source-Medindia